Magical Baby in a Muggle Church
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: From his favourite bookshop in London, Severus Snape observes something strange that involves Baby Harry and requires his attention. Just a little drabble. Completely AU, partly OOC.


**Magical Baby in a Muggle Church**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

Severus Snape was standing in front of the Potions shelf at his favourite bookshop, The Ink Pot, absentmindedly staring through the nearby window onto the small side street that was covered with a thin layer of snow. The Ink Pot was a Muggle bookshop; however, the owner was a Squib, and it held a huge magical section, hidden from the Muggles by a charmed door. _'I better engross myself in some sort of research,'_ he mused. _'Now that the students went home for the winter holidays, Minerva and Albus are going to have too much time and won't leave me in peace.' _

Since the beginning of the school year, he had been the Potions professor, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was not that he regretted having two weeks of winter holidays without being disturbed by the dunderheads; however, the students at least managed to divert the Headmaster's attention from himself. _'Maybe I should try to develop an improved version of the Wolfsbane,' he thought. 'That would give me excuse enough to not show up at every meal without having my meddling colleagues make a fuss.'_

HP

All of a sudden, a movement outside caught his eyes. A woman was walking along the street, with the left hand pushing a buggy and at the same time using her right hand to pull a small child with her.

_'Is that Petunia?'_ Severus wondered, staring at the woman, only to come to the conclusion that it had to be Petunia, the older sister of his best friend, who had been murdered seven weeks ago. _'Then the boy must be Harry Potter,'_ he concluded, noticing that another boy of about twice the size of Harry was comfortably sitting in the buggy, while the smaller child had to run to keep up with his aunt's fast space. However, the child was not even able to run fast enough; he just let himself being dragged along.

Severus' expression turned to an angry frown. _'What does she think she's doing to Lily's son?'_ he thought, irritated, and was just about to leave the bookshop in order to give the Muggle a piece of his mind, when he realised that she entered the church on the opposite side of the street.

Severus let out a snort. Yes, he knew that the Evans had been going to church every Sunday, when Lily and Petunia had been small, but somehow, going to a church and displaying the behaviour towards her nephew that Severus had observed just a minute ago, just didn't match - at least in his opinion.

He tried to turn his attention back to the Potions bookshelf next to him. However, the scene of his best friend's son being dragged along the street by her horrible sister kept forcing itself to the front of his mind.

A few minutes later, he observed Petunia come out of the church and walk back the street pushing the buggy, in which her son was laughing happily. However, the small boy was not with her. _'What has she done now?'_ Severus wondered, feeling very upset at the Muggle on the other side of the street. Deciding that he had to figure out what was happening to Harry before he could concentrate on what he was attempting to achieve, he quietly left The Ink Pot and, slightly hesitating, entered the church.

It was the first time for him to enter a church ever since Lily's Holy Communion, which had been many years ago, and Severus looked around with interest. The church was already decorated for Christmas, and two large Christmas trees were standing on each side of the front.

_'Almost as big as the one in the Great Hall. I like the one at Hogwarts more though,'_ Severus mused, toying with the thought of giving the two Muggle trees a slight magical touch. _'No, better not,' _he finally resolved and continued looking around in search for a certain small boy.

HP

Apart from two old ladies, the church was completely empty at this time of the day, and there was no little boy in sight. _'Did I only dream about the matter?'_ Severus wondered, although he was fairly sure that he had not been day-dreaming but really watched the scene earlier. _'Where might he be?'_ she wondered, looking at the nativity scene that was arranged in one corner of the church. It consisted of many well crafted animals like sheep, cows and deer as well as Mary and Joseph standing on both sides of the crib. As a child, he had once wondered why the crib was empty; however, Lily had told him that it was always empty until Christmas Eve, when the baby would be placed into the crib.

However, when Severus stared at the crib, he wondered if it was really empty. He could not see well in the half dark of the church; however, something made him belief that a small bundle was lying in the crib. Suddenly, a sneeze penetrated his ear, following by a few harsh coughs that were definitely coming from inside the crib.

He was just about to make his way over the fence in order to pick up what he supposed to be little Harry from the crib, when the child sat up and stared at the sheep. From his spot in the dark, Severus watched how all of a sudden, the sheep began to move around and sing, =Bah bah bah, bah bah bah.=

A minute later, the cows joined the sheep in their movements, and before Severus knew what happened, all the animals in the nativity scene were moving around and playing together. The small boy sat in the crib, smiling.

"Harry," Severus called out in a soft voice, causing the small boy to look up with an expression of absolute horror.

"Harry?" Severus once addressed the child in a soft voice, causing the baby to give him a frightened look. "Do you remember me, little one?" Severus asked, gently caressing the child's cheeks that looked flushed and felt hot to the touch. "I was your mother's best friend, and we've met a few times."

"Uncy Sebby?" Harry suddenly spoke up as realisation seemed to set in.

"Yes Harry, I'm your Uncle Severus. Now tell me, what happened to you?" he asked in a soft voice, knowing that Harry like many magical children was perfectly capable of speaking at his young age.

Harry cast him a sad glance, before he explained, "Hawwy fick and Aun Tunia take me here so I won't infeft Dudy. I'm not good but fweak and nuisance to de good people."

Severus anger grew with every word the boy forced himself to speak. "No Harry," he contradicted firmly. "You're neither a freak nor a nuisance to anyone. You're a very cute boy and a powerful little wizard at that. You did that very well with the animals. You really seem to be sick though, but with a little medicine you'll be right as rain again."

"Hawwy no 'loud medcine," Harry whispered, frightened. "Onwy Dudy."

"No Harry, that's not true. Now I'm going to take you with me to Hogwarts, and then I'll give you a potion to make you feel better, all right? Or would you prefer if I'd took you back to your relatives?"

"Nooo," Harry replied, giving his Uncy Severus a pleading look. "Tay Hogawts wif you, pwease," he added, shyly. He knew Hogwarts. That was where his mummy sometimes took him to visit his Granny Minerva and Granddad Albus or sometimes Aunt Poppy when he had been ill. He looked back to the nativity scene and queried in a small voice, "Can take a bah-bah wif me?"

"No Harry," Severus replied, unable to not chuckle at the boy's innocent look. He quickly pointed his wand at a paper that was lying forgotten on the first bench and transfigured it into a stuffed animal in the form of a sheep, hurriedly adding a few charms to the cuddly toy, before he handed it to the boy, who stared from him to the sheep in absolute delight.

"Fanku," he said, happily, holding on closely to his Uncle Severus, as he remembered what his mummy had always told him when she had apparated with him.

_'No more AnTunia and Uncy Bahnon and Dudy,'_ he thought and nestled into the Potions Master's robes in relief. He happily cuddled his sheep, laughing when its colour began to change from white to black and back as his new guardian carried him towards the entrance of Hogwarts and a much deserved happy childhood.

**The End**


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